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Archives for July 2016

Northwest Folklife’s 3rd Annual Seattle Children’s Festival is October 9 at Seattle Center

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Northwest Folklife’s 3rd Annual Seattle Children’s Festival is October 9 at Seattle Center

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A one-day multi-cultural, inter-generational festival “Celebrating Our Big Neighborhood”
– No admission fee thanks to donations Northwest Folklife’s Seattle Children’s Festival brings together local communities to showcase and celebrate families of the Northwest, introducing children in attendance to new cultures and traditions through a variety of educational and hands-on programs.

This GraceLove-12-290x290multi-cultural, inter-generational festival includes live performances and interactive workshops that are geared toward families and children of all ages.
Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion and Armory
305 Harrison Street, Seattle

October 9, 2016
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

No admission fee, thanks to community donations.

 

About Northwest Folklife
Northwest Folklife is a year-round nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for
all people to appreciate, share, and participate in the evolving traditions of the Pacific Northwest. Every year since 1972, Northwest Folklife has presented the Northwest Folklife Festival over Memorial Day Weekend at Seattle Center. The Festival honors and celebrates the musical and cultural traditions that make our region great and provides opportunities for the public to connect with the many diverse cultures that make up the Northwest through dance, song, and art. Since 2014, Northwest Folklife has produced the Seattle Children’s Festival, a one-day event that “Celebrates Our Big Neighborhood.” Northwest Folklife also lends itsmulticultural programmatic hand to a variety of Pacific Northwest events, including the Cultural Arts Series in Bellevue. To keep up with Northwest Folklife, visit NWFolklife.org.

Northwest Folklife’s Seattle Children’s Festival is sponsored in part by Seattle Center and the Wyncote Foundation.

Gretchen Gammell JOY : LATEST WORKS

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More than a decade in, Gretchen Gammell’s original paintings have been exhibited in galleries across the western United States and British Columbia. In her latest show, Joy, on view at Hall Spassov Gallery from August 5 through August 31, the artist elaborates on what has become a distinct and notable artistic language.

Themes of the female form, botanicals and wildlife are at the core of Gammell’s work. A skilled storyteller, her attention to detail is evident in the rich textures, unusual colors and purposeful mark-making she applies to her work. Her characters, often stoically staring at the viewer, have a peculiar intensity that is hard to escape.

About her latest series the artist says: “Painting delights me, plain and simple. The challenge of it enrages me, brings me to tears, leaves me pacing, cursing, gloating, yes.” “It is my first love, it will most likely be my last.”

A graduate of the Oregon College of Art and Craft, Gammell currently resides in Vancouver, Washington. Her work can be found in several public and private collections, including the Max Hotel in Seattle, Washington.

Joy will be Gammell’s ninth exhibition at HSG. A free, public Opening Reception will be held on Friday, August 5th from 5 to 8pm. Admission to the gallery is free.

About Hall Spassov Gallery
Hall Spassov Gallery is home to a unique roster of well over twenty regional and inter/national artists. Founded in 2006 by Erik Hall and Amy Spassov with the purpose of cultivating the careers of the artists represented, the gallery features monthly-rotating exhibitions ranging from painting to mixed media to sculpture. Learn more at hallspassov.com.

Images: Gammell ” Hold on, Honey”

Martin’s walk off homer in 11th gives M’s 6-5 win over White Sox

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Leonys Martin’s second home run of the game Wednesday afternoon in Safeco field in front of 39,985 gave the Seattle Mariners ( 48-47)  an improbable come from behind 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox (46-48 and brought a smile of satisfaction and gratitude from Mariner Ace Felix Hernandez.

The King was full of gratitude for the Center fielder for his heroics after Hernandez’s return from an eight week stint on disable list( calf strain), began with some turbulence but settled down for a smooth outing.

Hernandez went 6 2/3 innings, gave up 10 hits and five runs in the 94-pitch outing which started out with a three- run blast from Chicago third baseman Todd Frazier in the bottom of the first inning one pitch after hostilities had erupted between Hernandez and home plate umpire  Andy Flectcher.

Hernandez worked a full count to White Sox batter Justin Morneau, threw what he believed was a sinker for the third strike, Fletcher saw it differently called the pitch a ball causing a contentious reaction from Hernandez.

The highly agitated Hernandez lost his composure and gave up the three run home run. Hernandez’s consternation continued into the second inning when he gave up three singles and another run, to cast some doom and despair to the Mariner faithful who were looking for a triumphant return from their King.

The gloominess  did last long as Martin hit the first of his two home runs in the bottom of the second inning to narrow the gap to 4-2. Sensing some hope and oportimism, Hernandez settled down the rest of the way and gave up just one more run before being pulled in the seventh inning.

Despite the rocky start, Manager Scott Servais was pleased with Hernandez’s performance.

“For the first time out, he was probably better than I thought he’d be, other than the home run that he gave up to Frazier after not getting the third strike on the hitter before,” said Servais. “That was the couple mistakes that he did make, but I thought his stuff was good. I thought he was pretty crisp. After the first inning, if you’d told me he’d get as deep as he did, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

Mike Zunino hit a two run homer (3rd) in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 5-4 and  Adam Lind’s ( 15th) solo shot in the bottom of the eight tied the game at fives and set the stage for Martin’s heroics in the bottom of the 11th.

The  walk of blast was Martin’s third of the season and the Mariners 6th of the season.

The Two Worlds of Ms. Anna

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26523512Helen Collier presents “The Two Worlds of Ms. Anna”. Seattle-based author Helen Collier will read from her latest book, “The Two Worlds of Ms. Anna” This is the second magical realist tale in a trilogy about the struggles of Ms. Anna Bradley. Ms. Anna is a Black woman torn between worlds, life and death struggles between Black & White communities and the quest for her own happiness. The story reflects a metaphor for the many challenges that people face as individuals and in relationships with friends, families and communities. There will be time for open discussion. Advance copies of the book are available. Thursday, August 4, 7:30 pm. Dinner served at 6:30 pm for $8.50 donation. New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle. Auspices: Radical Women.

Information: 206-722-6057, [email protected]. Everyone welcome. Call in advance to arrange childcare. Wheelchair accessible.

From the Streets to the Skies: Shyan Selah’s Café Noir Project Travels Across American Airlines​​​​​​​

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For the last few months Shyan Selah’s voice has been featured as part of the MasterCard Selections Channel on
American Airlines. He was chosen as part of an elite group of wide ranging music artists from Jordin Sparks to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top to talk about his current project and tour, Café Noir, as well as give a little musical taste from the Café Noir Live album out now.

Before singing the “Pink Butterfly (Urban Remix)” – the funk/soul/R&B track that’s been permeating throughout select Starbucks stores around the country, Selah talked about the project and how his unique approach to music and communnamed-3unity outreach has allowed him to venture where few entertainers can go.

“[Café Noir] is a community experience project,” said Selah. “It’s all centered around sitting down, having conversations – community and conversation….because it’s a community project we wanted to make sure we could fuse music with the people right in the neighborhood and Starbucks became a really cool partner of ours.”

That community experience project which has been developed and featured throughout high schools, colleges, and live music venues in addition to select Starbucks stores throughout the country, has already resulted in a live album, Café Noir Live, recorded at the 23rd & Jackson Street Starbucks in Seattle; and a second LP album is forthcoming this fall. Selah’s recent interview and live performance for the MasterCard Selections Channel is just one example of how the project is expanding beyond the communities on the ground he set out to reach.

“I was raised in an airline family,” he says. “I grew up in airports and doing a lot of flying as a kid and, of course, as an Artist and Entrepreneur it’s a must. The whole experience of being on a plane is very sentimental to me because my very first memories in life are centered around flying. I can say without a doubt this experience with American Airlines and Master Card is truly a blessing. To do what I love the most and have it played on one of the world’s biggest airlines is a cool highlight indeed. It was a lot of fun doing the production for this and I am truly thankful to everyone that made it possible.”

Those who missed the interview and performance on American Airlines can listen now via the YouTube link below.

For more information, visit www.shyanselah.com.

Mayor issues action plan for Chinatown-International District

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unnamed-2Mayor Ed Murray today issued his action plan to address persistent public safety and disorder challenges in the Chinatown-International District (C/ID). The action plan reflects the recommendations of Murray’s Chinatown-International District Public Safety Task Force, which was convened last year in the wake of the murder of long-time public safety advocate and community activist Donnie Chin.

“Thank you to the many community members who contributed their time to this public safety task force and for their commitment to the neighborhood. Donnie was one of the people who taught us that it requires more than police presence in a neighborhood to address public safety,” said Murray. “The neglect that the Chinatown-International District feels did not occur overnight, but I am committing our City to work with the community to address these issues so that we preserve this wonderful, vibrant, diverse and historic neighborhood.”

Murray’s plan includes four key elements identified for early action:

 

Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist – This one-year pilot creates a new civilian position at the Seattle Police Department that will be trained in national best practices around community policing and will be the City’s point to implement strategies to address the most acute criminal activities afflicting the neighborhood.
Neighborhood-Based Public Safety Coordinator – The Department of Neighborhoods will provide matching funds for a position based in the neighborhood to provide public safety coordination between City departments and the residents and organizations in the C/ID.
Public Safety Steering Committee – City employees and community members will identify key public safety projects to implement in the next 12-18 months, which will be measured and monitored for concrete outcomes.
Improved Police Communication and Responsiveness – The Seattle Police Department will increase positive police engagement and relationship-building within the community with additional and redeployed staff, improve 911 responsiveness and language capabilities, and ensure that police patrols maintain high visibility in the neighborhood.
“We have recently seen the benefits of better coordinated police efforts in South Seattle and in our downtown core,” said Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole. “We are committed to a similar multidisciplinary strategy to address the important concerns of Chinatown-International District stakeholders.”

In recognition of the significant impacts of heavy litter on quality of life in the neighborhood and the strong correlation between heavy litter and public safety concerns, Murray announced that the City will launch a new intensive litter clean-up program. The program will be piloted in two neighborhoods, the Chinatown-International District and Ballard. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will increase litter pick-up with bi-weekly clean-up crews, install more trash bins on the street and increase community engagement to speed response to illegal dumping.

Additionally, Murray has instructed the Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD) and Department of Neighborhoods (DON) to work closely with the new Public Safety Steering Committee to guide the development and planning of infrastructure investments, as well as monitoring related issues that need immediate coordination.

“Chinatown-International District is a unique cultural environment that faces distinct public safety and infrastructure challenges,” said Maiko Winkler-Chin of the Seattle Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority. “For decades, our neighborhood has felt that it has not had the same access to City resources and services as other neighborhoods. Community members, especially recent immigrants and our seniors, often feel disconnected. These task force recommendations and the mayor’s action plan are intended to build new bridges while making our neighborhood safer and even more vibrant.”

“The City must be held accountable to the Public Safety Task Force recommendations by keeping our community inviting, safe and a competitive place to do business, to live, and to work,” said Tam Nguyen, owner of the Tamarind Tree restaurant. “We need the City to support a healthy neighborhood by targeting crime inducers, ensuring safe environments for all law-abiding residents, and improving communication and coordination with the C/ID.”

“Small businesses are the road to prosperity for many residents of Chinatown-International District,” said Ali Lee of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. “Creating safe and welcoming streets is critical if these small businesses are to continue to attract customers from the neighborhood, elsewhere in the Seattle and across the region. Our goal is to create a neighborhood where everyone feels comfortable walking, shopping and dining at all times of day.”

Donnie Chin was born and grew up in Seattle’s Chinatown and committed his life to the neighborhood. In 1968, he founded the International District Emergency Center (IDEC) to help respond to the needs of the immigrant, elderly, low-income families in the neighborhood.

Through IDEC, Donnie was always the first on the scene in the neighborhood responding to emergencies. He also provided CPR and public safety training to the residents and businesses in the neighborhood. Over the years, Donnie and IDEC became an invaluable partner to Seattle’s law enforcement and first responder communities, and he came to embody the “heart and soul” of the C/ID.

Last December, Murray convened the Chinatown-International District Public Safety Task Force of neighborhood leaders, City staff and the Seattle Police Department to identify strategies to improve neighborhood public safety and city infrastructure investment. Over the course of the last six months, the Task Force developed a detailed series of recommendations to address public safety and livability in the Chinatown-International District. The mayor’s action plan prioritizes the first steps that address the most urgent needs. Additional actions will be developed in conjunction with the C/ID community through the Public Safety Steering Committee.

According to the InterIm Community Development Association, more than three-fourths of C/ID residents are people of color and more than half speak a language other than English at home. Six out of ten neighborhood residents are of Asian descent, and at least one in four are seniors.

– See more at: http://murray.seattle.gov/mayor-issues-action-plan-for-chinatown-international-district/#sthash.WUVczYFu.FEIGxfbl.dpuf

Celebrating an innovative plan to create affordable housing around transit centers

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King County Executive Dow Constantine on Wednesday will be joined by County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove and housing advocates at a ceremonial bill signing for an innovative plan to build and preserve affordable housing around transit centers.

An estimated $87 million over the next five years will be generated under new authority granted by the Legislature to use anticipated lodging-tax revenue sooner than expected. It will create vibrant, mixed-income, transit-oriented neighborhoods across King County.

 Ceremonial bill signing of plan to create affordable housing based around transit centers

 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20

 Highline College | Mt. Skokomish Boardroom, 2nd floor of the Student Union Building | 2400 S 240th St, Des Moines, WA 98198

PARKING: North Parking Lot. Parking is free and no permit is required for this event. Walk up the driveway and toward the right to find the Student Union Building. Go up the staircase and turn left for the Mt. Skokomish Boardroom.

MAP: The Student Union Building is Building 8 on this campus map

 

Reign FC Earn Point Against Western New York Flash‏

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On a cloudy evening at Memorial Stadium, Seattle Reign FC battled to a 1-1 tie against the Western New York Flash in front of a crowd of 4,521 fans. The match was also BECU Olympic Sendoff Night and featured a pre-match ceremony to celebrate Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe’s selection to the USWNT Olympic roster.

“This is my home base,” said Rapinoe. “This team has been integral in my recovery and my rehab, and sort of getting back into training…I’m already home.”

The tie pushed Reign FC’s (4-4-5, 17 pts) record in its past five games to 1-1-3 and marked the second time this season the Reign FC offense has scored in three consecutive matches. The Reign FC defense held the Flash to just one goal for the first time in the Flash’s past four games.

“Similar to last week really, where we were dominant and didn’t take chances,” said Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey. “Even with the amount of possession the team had [we] created enough chances.”

Reign FC came out of the gates quickly against the Flash, scoring their fastest goal of the season. Keelin Winters’ attempted pass out of the midfield was deflected by a Flash player. The ball then shot between the two Flash centerbacks Abby Erceg and Abby Dahlkemper into the open field. A sprinting Manon Melis was there to jump on the ball and slid a wide-open shot into the back of the net.

Then, for the second game in a row, the Reign allowed a goal just before the halftime whistle. Jalene Hinkle sent a Flash corner kick to the back post of the net, where Dahlkemper was there to head the ball back across the front of the net. Jessica McDonald was there waiting and tied the game at 1-1.

“We conceded late in the half and then I thought the second half, we couldn’t really get going,” said Harvey. “We created some opportunities later on in the game. The Flash are difficult to play, they’re a hard team to play against, and credit to them because they made the game difficult.”

This marked the first ever goal for McDonald against the Reign. McDonald now has four goals and four assists in the past four matches for the Flash.

Neither team found the back of the net in the second half, but the Flash’s league-leading offense came out aggressively looking for a goal. The Reign FC defense held strong, and goalkeeper Andi Tostanoski made three saves in her first-ever professional start.

“There’s always nerves going in to something like that, but as soon as I started playing and really settled down, the girls did a great job just communicating with me and telling me what I needed to do for them,” said Tostanoski. “It’s such a great experience to be able to play on this team, on this field, [and] in this league.”

Jess Fishlock was awarded Reign FC player of the match for her efforts, once again going the full 90 minutes for the club. Fishlock was strong in the midfield, and had several key defensive clearances on set pieces throughout the match.

The match also marked the first NWSL start for Japanese international Rumi Utsugi. Utsugi had played 15 minutes in Reign FC’s previous match against the Flash, and went the full 90 minutes tonight at the outside back position.

“We didn’t see as much as we wanted out of her [Utsugi] higher on the field, but I think you saw, at times, how good she can be,” said Harvey. “Her quality on the ball is great.”

Before the match, Reign FC honored Senator Pramila Jayapal as a Reign FC Legend for her extraordinary achievements on behalf of our community. Jayapal has been a leading activist for human rights for the past two decades, and led one of the largest voter registration efforts in Washington state, helping over 23,000 Americans register to vote.

Today’s result gives Reign FC 17 points on the season, good for 6th place on the NWSL table. Seattle is currently just four points out of a playoff slot, behind the Chicago Red Stars who currently sit in 4th with 21 points.

With the tie, the Western New York Flash now have 25 points, but have moved down one spot in the standings to third place. The Portland Thorns still remain in first place with 26 points, as they hold the tie-breaker over the Washington Spirit, who also have 26 points.

“We have to be ruthless [going forward],” said Reign FC defender Lauren Barnes. “We just have to put teams away. We’re looking for that win next week.”

Up next, Reign FC hosts the Orlando Pride on July 23 at 7:00 p.m. PT. This will be the Pride’s first ever trip to Memorial Stadium. Next Saturday’s match will be the final meeting between the two teams this season.

NWSL Match Report
 Match: Seattle Reign FC (4-4-5, 17 pts) vs. Western New York Flash (8-4-1, 25 pts)
Date: July 16, 2016
Venue: Memorial Stadium
 Kickoff: 10:00 p.m. ET
Attendance: 4521
Weather: Cloudy

Team 1 2 Final
Seattle Reign FC 1 0 0
Western New York Flash 1 0 0

Scoring Sumary:

SEA – Manon Melis 3’

WNY – Jessica McDonald (Abby Dahlkemper) 45’

Lineups:

Seattle Reign FC: Tostanoski, Reed, Fletcher, Barnes, Utsugi, Kawasumi, Winters, Fishlock, Yanez (Elston 77’), Little, Melis (Mathias 67’)

Substitutes Not Used: Pickett, Solaun, Cruz, Dallstream, Steele

Western New York Flash: Rowland, Hinkle, Niemiec, Dahlkemper, Eddy, Zerboni, Sanderson, Erceg, Doniak (Smith 75’), Williams, McDonald

Substitutes Not Used: Hahn, Hamilton, Leon, Eckerstrom, Cayman

Stats Summary: SEA/WNY
 Shots: 9 / 19
Shots on Goal: 4 / 5
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 4 / 7
Fouls: 11 / 8
Offside: 6 / 4

Misconduct Summary:

SEA – Reed (Yellow) 24’

SEA – Winters (Yellow) 33’

WNY – Zerboni (Yellow) 47’

SEA – Fishlock (Yellow) 91+

Officials:
 Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
Assistant Referees: Kathryn Nesbitt, Deleana Quan
Fourth Official: Kelsey Harms

This news article is courtesy of the Seattle Reign FC  media department. For more information on the club visit reignfc.com.

First Place School fundraising event with Luvo, Inc. and Russell Wilson

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Nationally recognized educator Dr. Wanda Billingsly has been tapped to lead First Place School, a Seattle nonprofit operating an early learning center, a private primary school, and a housing program in the Central District. Billingsly took the helm April 11, 2016 as interim director and was confirmed as
Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director by the First Place Board of Directors on Tuesday, July 12th. “I’m delighted to join the First Place Family,” said Billingsly. “Our faculty, staff, board, and families are dedicated to delivering rigorous, culturally responsive education and ‘total’ child preparation.

We’re united in our commitment to student success and at the end of the day, that’s what matters most.” During her 30-year career, Billingsly has served as a classroom teacher, principal, district administrator, college lecturer, and associate college dean. She was recognized as a Distinguished P-12 Educator assist- ing the UW College of Education in its reform efforts to better train future teachers. Billingsly served 18 years in Renton School District where she excelled as a gap-closing principal in a high-needs school. Prior to joining First Place, Dr. Billingsly held senior administrative posts in Tukwila Public Schools, Federal Way Public Schools, and Seattle Public Schools. In each role, she focused on equitably meeting the needs of students who struggle in traditional classroom settings, including low-income students of all races, and students of color. Billingsly holds a Washington State Superintendent Certification, a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from City University in Seattle, a Master’s in Education from Heritage University in Toppenish, and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Seattle University. As a highly sought speaker both locally and nationally, she has been featured in the Renton Reporter, King County Journal, and Colors NW Magazine. Since 2010, Billingsly also has served as the African American Community representative to the Washington State Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee formed by the Legislature in 2009.